


Tsukishima Kei's Playlist to Fall in Love To

by north_star



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, M/M, awkward nerds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2015-06-02
Packaged: 2018-03-29 08:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3890176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/north_star/pseuds/north_star
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High school sucks, but having a friend like Yamaguchi makes it a little more bearable.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Do You Wanna Dance?

Tsukishima did not want to be here. He hated large groups of people, he hated the scent of sweat and Axe body spray, he hated the shitty pop remix that was blasting from the speakers. Most of all he hated school dances, like the one he was currently trapped at. Even worse, it was an inter-high dance, so he had to deal with idiots that weren’t even from his school He tried to remember how he’d been coerced into attending and recalled Hinata’s whiny voice begging him to come. He wasn’t even friends with Hinata. They were just on the volleyball team, but somehow Hinata had gotten the idea in his head that Tsukishima wanted to spend time with him and Kageyama.

Tsukishima didn’t.

However, even someone as impervious to peer pressure as Tsukishima can only take so much Hinata before they have to give in. So here he was, lounging in the corner by the snack table, sipping a lukewarm root beer and listening in on the parent volunteers gossip.

Hinata had dragged Kageyama out on to the dance floor and was a tornado of wild limbs and hair, while Kageyama shuffled awkwardly. Tsukishima snorted out loud. What was it like to be that much of an idiot, to be so unaware of how stupid you looked?  
Tsukishima turned to the snack table to refill his cup when he heard a mocking voice coming from nearby.

“Well if it isn’t the class idiot,” the distinctly male voice sneered “I’m surprised you even showed your face here, considering what a loser you are,”

Tsukishima turned to see two boys cornering someone, who was concealed from his view. Tsukishima figured that whoever it was could take care of themselves, so he returned to his soda, which had approximately zero bubbles in it.

“You look really gay in that shirt. How fitting,” The boy continued.

Tsukishima sighed and headed over to them.

“Why’d you even come here? It’s not like you have friends to hang out with,” The boy mocked, his companion convulsing with laughter.

Tsukishima tapped the boy on the shoulder.

“You know,” He started, waiting for the boys to turn to look at him “If you’re going to tease someone, you might as well try to be clever about it,”

He had their full attention now and the taller of the two perpetrators was glaring at him.

“Yeah and what are you going to do about it blondie?” He hissed “Fight us?”

“Not worth my while. Why don’t you leave that poor kid alone and go burn your brain cells somewhere else. That red haired boy over there looks pretty stupid,” The bullies glared at him, but didn’t say anything. Tsukishima knew he made an intimidating figure, with his height and volleyball-toned muscles. He stared at the two boys, confident they were smart enough to know when they were beaten.

The taller boy sent him the evil eye one last time. “Let’s go,” he grumbled to his companion as they stalked off.

Now Tsukishima had his first clear view of the victim. He looked to be about the same age as Tsukishima, but was a bit shorter (honestly, who wasn’t?), with dark hair and a smattering of freckles across his cheeks.

“T-thanks,” the boy stuttered. “I really didn’t know what to do,” He was staring at the floor quite intently, his freckles paling under the blush that spread across his cheeks.

 _Cute._ Tsukishima thought fleetingly, so fast that he barely even registered it.

“Whatever,” Tsukishima shrugged, walking off. “Just try growing a backbone for next time,”

He was heading back to his post in the corner when he felt a hand at his elbow. It was the boy. God, what did he want now?

“Really,” he chirped, “Thanks!”

Tsukishima wiggled his elbow until the other boy’s hand was off of him. “I said it’s whatever,’ he grumbled.

“I-I’m Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi Tadashi,”

Great. Now the boy- Yamaguchi- was trying to be friends.

“Tsukishima,”

“Ah, Tsukishima, I’m very grateful, those boys haven’t been leaving me alone. What did you do to scare them off?” He laughed nervously.

Tsukishima was getting kind of annoyed now. Couldn’t this guy take a hint?

“Look kid, I just can’t stand assholes is all. I’m not trying to make friends,”

Yamaguchi fell silent.

“Sorry,” He muttered, looking at Tsukishima with watery brown eyes (goddamn those eyes). ”For being such a waste of your time” Yamaguchi turned and headed away from Tsukishima, out of the gym entirely.

Shit.

Despite his constant snark, Tsukishima wasn’t a totally awful person. He never intended to seriously hurt someone with his words, which was apparently what he had just done. As much as his brain was telling him not to, Tsukishima headed out of the gym in Yamaguchi’s direction.

###  
He found Yamaguchi sitting on the steps outside the school, shivering in his green oxford shirt and khakis. He was so overdressed it was almost funny.

Tsukishima cleared his throat.

Yamaguchi turned around.

“Uh, hey,” Tsukishima managed.

“Hey,” The dark haired boy responded, with a hint of, was that… sarcasm? No, it couldn't be.

Tsukishima sat next to him on the stone steps. They were cold. _My ass’ll be frozen by time I’m done with him_. Tsukishima thought.

“Look,” Tsukishima started. God, he was so bad at this. “Sorry if it seemed like I was attacking you back in there,”

Yamaguchi didn't say anything.

Tsukishima ignored him and continued. “I didn’t mean to. That’s just kinda how I am,”

“Oh?” Yamaguchi said, quietly, so much so that Tsukishima probably wasn't supposed to hear it.

“Yeah,” Tsukishima allowed himself to laugh a little. “So uh, Yamaguchi, I feel sort of bad. So um, can I make it up to you?” Was he actually saying this? He seemed to have lost control of his mouth and now some alien parasite was making him spout bullshit.  
Yamaguchi looked a little surprised and then a mischievous grin overtook his face.

“Okay Tsukki-“

“Tsukishima”

“Tsukkishima, you can make it up to me by,” He paused to think for a moment. Tsukishima eagerly awaited his doom. “You can give me the school dance experience I lost,” Yamaguchi's voice wavered and he stared at his fingers, unable to look Tsukishima in the eye.

“I don’t have cheap alcohol,”

“No not that,” Yamaguchi giggled. Yes, _giggled_. “I-I want you to dance with me,”

“Wha?” If he hadn’t been sitting down, Tsukishima was sure he would have fallen over. “There’s not even any music. And I’m definitely not grinding with you.” Again, Yamaguchi giggled.

“First off, you’ve got your headphones, so clearly your first argument is invalid. And second, I want a slow dance,” Yamaguchi said, with a bit more confidence.

Tsukishima groaned and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He stood up and started scrolling through his music library. He really was too nice. “Whaddya want?” He grumbled.

“Do you have and Beach Boys?”

“Uh no. I’m not a grandpa,”

He saw Yamaguchi’s face fall.

“I’ve got Spotify though,” he said quickly, opening the app and handing his phone to the other boy. Yamaguchi flicked eagerly through the app, selected a song and placed the phone on the steps.  
He stood on the pavement with his hand outstretched. “Whenever you’re ready,”

Tsukishima walked up to him and took the other boy’s hand in his own. “Geez Tsukki, your hand’s cold!” he laughed.

“I’m like a corpse, in more ways than one,” Tsukishima deadpanned. Yamaguchi laughed and Tsukishima felt something blooming inside of him. It felt good to make Yamaguchi laugh like that.

Whatever song Yamaguchi had picked was upbeat and gentle and Yamaguchi started guiding him around the pavement, one hand on Tsukishima’s back. Yamaguchi’s touch was barely there, yet somehow Tsukishima could feel the other boy’s hand down through his bones. Tsukishima’s left hand was clasped in Yamaguchi’s and he could feel it growing sweaty. It was gross and he sort of hated it, but he kept going for Yamaguchi. He'd already screwed up enough tonight.  
They moved kind of awkwardly. Well, Tsukishima moved kind of awkwardly. Yamaguchi had clearly done this before, judging by the graceful way he shifted his feet across the concrete.

“I love this song,” He smiled up at Tsukishima, “My mom would play this all the time when I was a kid,” He got a glassy, wistful look in his eyes and Tsukishima didn’t know what to do- he was awful with emotions- so he pulled Yamaguchi a little closer, causing the shorter boy to blush again and let out a tiny gasp. And again, Tsukishima can’t help thinking that Yamaguchi look so freaking cute. This close he smelled lavender. Maybe Yamaguchi used scented soap or something?  
The song changed and Tsukishima started to let go of the other boy’s hand since he’d done his duty, but Yamaguchi pulled him into a sort of quickstep if Tsukishima was nimble enough, but he just stepped on Yamaguchi’s feet instead. Yamaguchi laughed and spun away from him, moving in time. Tsukishima realized that he actually recognized this song. He’d heard it on the local oldies radio before or something.

“Hey, this is Barbara Ann, isn’t it?”

“Yup,” Yamaguchi spun closer to Tsukishima, intertwined their fingers and resumed leading Tsukishima across the concrete.  
What could dancing to a few more songs hurt?

They moved around for a few more songs, and Tsukishima was even adventurous enough to twirl the other boy around a few times, Yamaguchi’s dark hair whipping around his face. Both of their faces were flushed a healthy pink from the cool night air and another song started up, but just then a phone buzzed.

“Oh shoot, that’s me,” Yamaguchi chirped, dropping Tsukishima’s hand to dig around in his back pockets. “Must be my mom,” He explained, turning his back to chat with his mom.

Tsukishima’s hand felt uncomfortably cold.

Yamaguchi had a hushed conversation for a few minutes and turned to Tsukishima with a disappointed look on his face.

“My mom’s on her way,” He sighed “So I’ve gotta run. Nice to meet you Tsukki!”

And just like that he was gone.

Tsukishima sat on the steps outside the school for a while and by time Hinata and Kageyama found him, he realized two things: his ass was asleep and he’d forgotten to get Yamaguchi’s number.

  
###

  
Tsukishima laid on the top of his blankets, staring at the glow-in-the-dark stars glued to the celling. He and his brother put them up there years ago, in the shape of their favorite constellations. He looked at Cassiopeia and saw Yamaguchi’s freckles. Same with Ursa Minor, Scorpio and Andromeda. Picturing Yamaguchi’s face made his stomach do a double backflip and he rolled over onto his stomach so he could bury his face in his pillow. He groaned audibly, attempting to give his annoyance some sort of manifestation . Why hadn’t he gotten Yamaguchi’s number?  
###

Miles across the city, Yamaguchi was wrapped up in his blankets, with his earbuds in, iPod on shuffle. A Beach Boys song came on and he allowed himself a little smile, thinking of the boy he met earlier today. His smile fell off his face when he remembered that he never got Tsukki’s number.


	2. Favorite Record

Tsukishima woke up Saturday morning with an ache in his legs. He was used to having various muscle pains from volleyball practice, so it was nothing new. He’d probably pulled something dancing the other night. He rubbed his blurry eyes and fumbled around for his glasses. After a quick shower and an energy bar that constituted his breakfast, he was off.  
Every Saturday morning for as long as he could remember, Tsukishima went to the Right Notes music shop, followed by coffee from the café across the street, Akiteru had started taking Tsukishima when he was younger, and once his older brother left home, he continued going on his own.  
This morning was no different. Tsukishima pulled up the hood of his sweater to guard him against the morning chill as he ambled along the main stretch of town. He tried-and failed- to walk the soreness out of his legs, but by the time he arrive at Right Notes, his calves were just as sore as when he had left home.  
The Right Notes was not the type of place that Tsukishima would typically frequent. It had dirt stained windows, low ceilings and the scent of cigarette smoke was always heavy in the air. However, it also had a great selection of CD’s at crazy low prices.  
Today Ukai, the owner was blasting The Steve Miller Band, which, to be honest, was not Tsukishima’s thing. He never said anything to Ukai though. What was the point?

“Hey Tsukishima,” Ukai said when the boy walked in, not even bothering to look up from his newspaper. “New stocks over there,” he gesticulated with his cigarette, managing to spill ashes all over the counter in the process. Tsukishima wrinkled his nose. 

Gross.

There was actually a pretty decent selection of new CD’s today. Of course, the Right Notes was a used music shop so the term ‘new’ was relative.  
Tsukishima was thumbing through the pop section when he heard the familiar jingle of the door opening. It was unusual that anybody else would be in this early, but he didn’t bother to look up. He heard Ukai greeting the customer. He didn’t bother to look up. He heard the customer shuffling through CD’S. He didn’t bother to look up. The customer said his name. He looked up.

He saw freckles and dark hair.

He did a double take.

It was Yamaguchi.

“Um hey, Tsukki, Um I-“

“Tsukishima”

“Sorry!” 

“Whatever,” Tsukishima returned to looking at his selections. Hearing Yamaguchi call him Tsukki made him feel odd, to say the least.

“What are you doing here?” Yamaguchi asked tentatively.

“Just picking up some new music,” Tsukishima turned to head to the checkout counter and Yamaguchi followed him. Yamaguchi peeked at Tsukishima’s hands.

“Fall Out Boy?” There was a slightly mocking tone to his voice.

“What?” Tsukishima grumbled, feeling oddly embarrassed. He wasn’t supposed to care what other people thought. 

“Nothing…” Yamaguchi snorted. Clearly there was something.

“What is it?” Tsukishima prodded.

“I just didn’t peg you as a Fall Out Boy sort of guy is all,” Yamaguchi fiddled with his hands.

They reached the counter and Ukai silently began to ring Tsukishima up, with a smirk on his face. Tsukishima was going to get hell from him later, for sure.  
“What do you think I listen to?”

“I don’t know, obscure alternative bands or something…” Yamaguchi’s voice got increasingly quieter.

Tsukishima paid and headed out the door, and Yamaguchi followed.

Tsukishima didn’t mind.

“I listen to whatever I like,” he said, with a note of finality.

Yamaguchi looked a little uncomfortable, like he was unsure of what to say next. Tsukishima’s mouth betrayed him once again. “Do you want to go grab some coffee with me?”

“Oh sure Tsukki!”

Tsukishima didn’t bother to correct him.  
###  
Tsukishima ordered a large black coffee (“How can you stomach that, Tsukki?”) and Yamaguchi got a hot chocolate. Tsukishima led them to a sunny seat next to the window and since he wasn’t really sure what to say, he started to make fun of passerby.  
“That guy’s walking like somebody shoved a pencil up his ass,”  
Yamaguchi snorted.  
“Her shirt is the exact same shade of green as the time I got food poisoning and puked on the rug,”  
Yamaguchi laughed a little.  
“That couples gonna need to have their mouths surgically detached,”  
Yamaguchi was in hysterics. He almost fell out of his chair and started making weird gaspy noises as he struggled for breath. Tsukishima felt a swell of pride. He was funny.  
“Tsukki-stop… oh God please. If you have any respect for human life stop,”  
“Just because you asked so nicely,” Tsukishima obliged.  
Yamaguchi took a sip of his hot chocolate.  
“That man’s pants are so lumpy; I bet he’s wearing a diaper,”  
Yamaguchi practically choked.  
###  
They chatted for a while. Yamaguchi fiddled with the collar of his shirt and told Tsukishima about his favorite books, bands and tv shows. He asked Tsukishima about his life. It’s nice, since most people didn’t usually take an interest in Tsukishima’s opinions. 

“Tsukki, what’s your favorite movie?” Yamaguchi chirped.

“Jurassic Park,”

“Oh, this is actually a little embarrassing, but I’ve never seen it,”

“How have you lived this long without seeing Jurassic Park?” Tsukishima retorted drily

“I don’t know. I guess I just never got around to it.”

Tsukishima sighed.

“I guess it’s my job to educate you. What are you doing today?”

Yamaguchi’s grin overtook his entire face “Absolutely nothing,”

###  
Tsukishima unlocked the door to his house and walked inside. Yamaguchi followed, with a nervous expression on his face.  
“Are you sure I won’t be intruding?”

“No one else is home,” Tsukishima replied curtly.

Yamaguchi followed him into the living room and perched awkwardly on the sofa. Tsukishima rummaged through a messy stack of DVDs until he emerged with Jurassic Park in hand.

“You ready?”

Yamaguchi nodded.

“You want any water or something?”

“Yes please,” Yamaguchi squeaked.

After they both got settled on the (somewhat small) couch Tsukishima pressed play on the DVD.

Even though he’d seen the movie a million times, it still totally engrossed him. He sat statue still, staring at the screen, anticipating every line and jump scare before they even happened. He didn’t even notice until halfway through the movie that Yamaguchi had fallen asleep.

During Jurassic Park.

The only good movie about dinosaurs (excluding documentaries, of course).

Tsukishima clicked his tongue. He’d just wake Yamaguchi up then.

He was reaching over to shake the other boy’s shoulder, when Yamaguchi slumped forward onto Tsukishima’s chest.

Tsukishima froze up.

He could feel the other boy’s hair tickling his neck, his gentle breathing lifting his shoulders up and down. Occasionally Yamaguchi would let out a little sigh.  
It actually wasn’t that horrible. He would go so far as to describe it as…nice.

And it would be pretty rude to wake him up right? (Since when was he concerned about manners?) He decided against rousing the other boy.

Then Yamaguchi started drooling.

At first Tsukishima didn’t notice the dampness spreading across the front of shirt but when he shifted his hand and brushed past a pool of saliva…well that alerted him to it.

Ugh.

He shifted himself so Yamaguchi was slumped forward and drooling on his own shirt.

Now Yamaguchi’s hair was tickling his neck.

Great.

He reached up a tentative hand to brush the hair out of the way. 

Damn, Yamaguchi’s hair was soft. He reached down and twirled a strand of it between his fingers. It was really soft. Like, silk soft. He also caught a familiar whiff of lavender. Whatever shampoo Yamaguchi was using, he should by no means stop.  
He kept his hand there for a few minutes, until some screaming on the screen brought him back to attention and he darted his fingers away.

He could feel himself going red, even though he had no reason to. Yamaguchi was asleep, and yeah, maybe touching (no, fondling) his hair was a little creepy, but no one had to know.

He stared at the TV for a while, but soon found his eyelids drooping.

He fell asleep to a chorus of velociraptor screeches and human screams.  
###  
Tsukishima woke up to giggling. It took a minute for everything to come into focus, but when it did, the first thing he saw was Yamaguchi, laughing. At him. 

“Tsukki, you snore,” the smaller boy snickered. 

“I do not,” he replied indignantly. 

“Sorry Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said, in a voice that implied he really wasn’t sorry.

Tsukishima shrugged.

“Also you fell asleep on top of me,” Yamaguchi continued, a grin creeping across his face.

“I did not,”

“You totally did, and I have the selfie to prove it,” Yamaguchi was positively giddy now.

“Whatever. You fell asleep on me first. AND you drooled on me,” Tsukishima pointed to the still-damp spot on his shirt.

Instead of getting annoyed, Yamaguchi laughed.

“I can believe that,” he snorted “I can fall asleep pretty much anywhere,”

“Clearly,” Tsukishima grumbled under his breath.

“I’m sorry I missed the movie though,” Yamaguchi sighed.

“It’s a DVD so we’ll just watch it again,” Tsukishima declared

“Now?”

“Yup,” 

Yamaguchi groaned and sat down.

“Do I have to?”

“Do you value this friendship?” Was that what they were now? Friends?  
Yamaguchi settled himself back into the sofa. “We left off with some guy getting eaten,”

“That’s about 75 percent of the movie”

”Just press play you goofus”

“Shut up Yamaguchi,”  
###  
Yamaguchi actually managed to stay awake this time through, and loved the movie. It was all he talked about as Tsukishima biked him back to his house.  
“And then the t-rex ate him! On the toilet!!” Yamaguchi gripped Tsukishima’s shoulders tighter in excitement.  
“Stop that Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima grumbled, shifting his weight so the bike wouldn’t tip over. The grip loosened.  
“Sorry Tsukki!”  
They were quiet for a few minutes. Tsukishima silently enjoyed the sensations of the night breeze running through his hair and Yamaguchi’s hands on his shoulders.  
“You know,” Yamaguchi broke the silence “I’d really like to do this again sometime”  
“What? Ride on my bike?” Tsukishima smirked  
“No, stupid, hang out,”  
“Uh, yeah, me too. I’d like that too,” Tsukishima managed to choke out. Smooth, Tsukishima, he thought to himself.  
“Awesome,”  
Even though Tsukishima couldn’t see Yamaguchi’s face, he could tell the other boy was smiling from ear to ear.  
He dropped Yamaguchi off at his house and got his phone number. The ride back felt a lot longer, and when he arrived home, his legs were sore once again.  
###  
[Yamaguchi]: hey tsukki!! ヽ(゜∇゜)ノ

[Tsukishima]: what the hell is that.

[Yamaguchi] : It’s an emoji! u don’t like it? (｡-_-｡)

[Tsukishima]: eh

[Tsukishima]: it’s fine

[Yamaguchi]: ヽ(^◇^*)/

[Yamaguchi]: i had a lot of fun today!

[Yamaguchi]: also since i watched ur favorite movie…

[Tsukishima]: no

[Yamaguchi]: aw ur no fun.

[Yamaguchi]: please

[Tsukishima]: no

[Yamaguchi]: please please please please

[Tsukishima]: fine. just shut up.

[Yamaguchi]: yay! ill text u the details asap!

[Tsukishima]: ok

###  
Tsukishima lay on his bed, clutching his phone with sweaty palms. He and Yamaguchi were hanging out. Next weekend. He was going to see Yamaguchi’s favorite movie with him at the local classic theater. Together. As friends.  
He began counting down the days to Saturday in his head (although if you asked him, he’d never admit to doing it).  
On Monday he missed his bus and had to walk through pouring rain. 5 more days.  
On Tuesday he had a pop quiz in math and had to work with Hinata in volleyball practice. 4 more days  
On Wednesday he overc ooked his toast and put his shirt on backwards. He didn’t notice until Kageyama (rudely) pointed it out.  
3 more days.  
On Thursday, he dropped his phone and cracked the screen. He got a lecture from his mom on responsibility. 2 more days.  
On Friday he couldn’t seem to pay attention to anything and got hit in the head with a volleyball multiple times. He went home feeling grouchy and bruised. Then he remembered it was Friday. Tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wah! chapter 2! is it any good? we just dont know.  
> im sure someone else has done the Jurassic park thing before but i have yet to read it in fanfiction so oh well.  
> ples let me know what you think! ur comments and kudos keep me going haha  
> also im very busy with finals so idk when another chapter will go up, but until then, stay cool!!


	3. Shadow

     Tsukishima woke up early on Saturday and, as usual went to the Right Notes. As soon as he walked in, Ukai was grinning at him. He’d been anticipating it, but still, nothing could prepare him for how annoying it actually was.

“So you and freckles, huh?” He smirked.

“It’s not like that,” Tsukishima replied sharply, as he sifted through a bin of half-off CDs.

“Evidence suggests otherwise,”

“Your evidence is unreliable,” Tsukishima grumbled.

Ukai snorted and returned to his newspaper.

He mumbled something snide under his breath, but Tsukishima wasn’t listening closely enough to catch it. Not that it mattered anyways.

On his way out, Ukai told Tsukishima to “Go get him, champ,”

Tsukishima couldn’t help thinking that it was a stupid phrase. Yamaguchi wasn’t a prize. Plus, he’d already “gotten” Yamaguchi. They were friends. What more was there for him to “get”?

###

    When Tsukishima got home, both his parents were at work. He walked into the kitchen to grab a snack and spotted a piece of paper on the counter It was a note his mom had left for him. Most of the note was just instructions for dinner and various chores, but at the bottom of the paper, there was a little line that caught Tsukishima’s attention: “Akiteru called today. He misses us and is visiting next weekend.” Tsukishima groaned inwardly. The last thing he needed was his brother hanging around the house. He and Akiteru had grown apart some time ago, and only one of them seemed interested in restoring their friendship. Tsukishima had honestly been a bit relieved when his brother announced that he was going to school far away.

At this point, he was pretty good at evading his brother whenever he visited. Tsukishima hid in his room and only replied with one-word answers. It wasn’t foolproof, but it worked well enough for him.

Tsukishima read a little of his book (couldn’t seem to focus), took a quick shower and headed out to the movie theater. He popped on his headphones and turned up the volume as loud as he could without killing his ears in the process. A song by The Beach Boys came on (He’d just added the song a few days ago) and he found himself humming a little. Not out loud (never out loud), but still, Tsukishima felt a little lighter as he headed toward the theater.

    Yamaguchi was lounging on a bench outside the theater and sprung to his feet when he saw Tsukishima heading his way. He was dressed far more casually today, in worn jeans and a hoodie. He was bouncing with energy, like a little kid in a toy store.

“Hey Tsukki!” He grinned, before Tsukishima had time to even think of a greeting.

“Hey,” was all Tsukishima replied with.

“You ready to head in?”

“Sure,”

They each bought tickets and Yamaguchi paid for a tub of popcorn for them to share (he insisted, and Tsukishima wasn’t going to object to free food). The theater was a second-run place, so it mostly showed old movies or ones that had already been in theaters. Tsukishima had been there a couple of times before, in middle school. Besides them, there were only a few other clusters of people in the theater, whispering amongst themselves.

“I can’t believe you haven’t seen this movie before,” Yamaguchi said in a hushed voice.

Tsukishima shrugged “Well, I’m seeing it now aren’t I?”

Yamaguchi let out one of his little giggles. Tsukishima hadn’t intended to be funny.

    Then the lights in the theater dimmed, and the movie began. It was called Howl’s Moving Castle, and Tsukishima had to admit, he enjoyed it a bit. It was really colorful and energetic and Yamaguchi kept in making noises next to him (although he had probably seen the movie hundreds of times). Yamaguchi would gasp quietly when the Witch of the Waste appeared, sigh happily when Sophie and Howl interacted and laugh at all the funny parts (and even some parts that weren’t). Tsukishima had never been big into movies- they never seemed to hold his attention, but watching this movie with Yamaguchi was a whole different experience. Yamaguchi was so engrossed, so completely blissful, that it caught Tsukishima by surprise. At one point, he looked over to see the other boy staring at the screen, with a dopey smile plastered across his face. It was adorable. He wasn’t even annoyed he people loudly chomping on popcorn behind them. Soon the movie reached its climax. Sophie was running after Howl, and there was some fantasy magic stuff involved that Tsukishima didn’t really get. But he did get that Sophie was in love with Howl and would do anything for him and it was kind of sweet actu-

There was a hand gripping his own. It was Yamaguchi’s.

“Don’t cry, you baby,” Yamaguchi whispered, eyes still glued to the screen.

“I won’t” Tsukishima replied indignantly. And, for good measure, he added “Shut up, Yamaguchi,”

“Sorry Tsukki,”

There was a pause that lasted for a few minutes. Tsukishima noticed how comfortable Yamaguchi’s hand felt in his. It seemed natural, right.

“I wasn’t going to cry,”

“I know, Tsukki,”

Yamaguchi was still holding onto his hand. Yamaguchi’s hand was soft, and smaller than Tsukishima’s. Did Yamaguchi’s hand have freckles on it too? Tsukishima had never thought about it before, but now he needed to know. He made a mental note to check once they got out of the theater. If Yamaguchi had freckles on his hands, did that mean he had them everywhere else too? His arms, legs ,back… Tsukishima had to mentally stop himself before his mind wandered into dangerous territory.

They were friends, and friends didn’t picture friends’ freckled asses.

As if he could read Tsukishima’s mind, Yamaguchi gave the taller boy’s hand a soft, quick squeeze, and then let go. The credits were rolling.

He stood up, stretched his sore limbs and followed Yamaguchi out of the theater.

“You absolutely loved it, didn’t you?” Yamaguchi asked him as soon as they stepped out of the theater.

“Eh, it was alright I guess,” Tsukishima squinted in the sunlight.

“That’s some high praise,” Yamaguchi grinned.

Tsukishima paused for a moment, thinking over what to say next. “Do you want to go get some food?”

“Of course!”

“There’s this sandwich place down a few blocks that’s good,”

“Lead the way,” Yamaguchi chirped, following Tsukishima.

    Yamaguchi chatted with Tsukishima on the way over. Tsukishima replied with one-word answers, but Yamaguchi didn’t seem to mind, and kept prattling on. He didn’t mention the hand holding, and Tsukishima didn’t bring it up. He hadn’t even completely processed the whole event and he wasn’t too keen on discussing it yet.

Or ever, really.

Yamaguchi’s hands were coated in freckles.

    Yamaguchi ordered a tuna sandwich and Tsukishima got a BLT.

Yamaguchi’s sandwich smelled kind of gross. Tsukishima told his as such.

“Yeah, I know, but it tastes so good” Yamaguchi said, between bites.

“Really?” Tsukishima said sarcastically.

“Yeah! Tsukki, it’s delicious!”

Tsukishima just kind of _humphed_ quietly and went on eating.

“Don’ be like tha…t” Yamaguchi’s words died on his tongue.

“What?” Tsukishima looked up from his sandwich.

A group of boys had just come in. They seemed oddly familiar. He saw a tall one, with close cropped hair, and a few equally braindead cronies trailing him. They were the boys from the dance.

“Tsukki, I want to go,” Yamaguchi hissed.

“I’m still eating,”

“I want to go now,” His voice was getting desperate. “Please,”

“Fine. Let’s go,” Tsukishima swept the remains of his sandwich into the garbage. “But you owe me a BLT,”

Yamaguchi didn’t even seem fazed by the irritation in the other boys’ voice. Once he stepped outside, his relief was palpable.

“You want to go to my house?” Tsukishima asked. The last thing Tsukishima wanted to do was have Yamaguchi over, but his mouth was, once again, running faster than his brain.

“That would be great!” Yamaguchi sighed. They walked in silence for a while, Tsukishima with his headphones on (but with the volume lowered), Yamaguchi swinging his arms loosely at his sides. Yamaguchi seemed kind of deflated, like a popped balloon. His usual sunniness had vanished to who knows where. This was not good. Tsukishima didn’t do feelings.

He slipped his headphones off.

“Hey,” Yamaguchi looked over at him. “Do you want to…talk about those boys? Are they still bothering you?”

“No and…yes,” Yamaguchi replied slowly.

"Good, because I didn't want to talk about it either."

Yamaguchi smiled weakly

“Okay. Um, do you…want to listen to some of my music?” Yamaguchi nodded.

Tsukishima handed him the headphones. He scrolled through his music library quickly.

“Uh, this is a song I like to listen to when I’m feeling down and…” He trailed off. Yamaguchi was already nodding in time to the music.

“I like this!” Yamaguchi said a bit too loudly. “What is it?’

“Shadow,” Tsukishima said quickly “By Bleachers”

They walked in silence all the way to Tsukishima’s house.

   The house was still empty when they arrived. Tsukishima led Yamaguchi up to his room. As the other boy followed him upstairs, it occurred to Tsukishima had never had a friend in his room before.

Tsukishima’s room was furnished sparsely. He had a small bookshelf, a few posters of his favorite musicians, a rather old TV and his dinosaur figurines. He quickly swept a few old stuffed animals behind his bed and offered Yamaguchi a seat on his bed.

“Thanks,” The other boy said quietly. A ray of sunlight coming through the window illuminated the freckled boy’s dark hair. And god, he had such long eyelashes. Did they curl like that naturally? Suddenly everything in Tsukishima’s room seemed wrong, from his worn sheets (patterned with pictures of multicolored brontosauruses) to his stack of fantasy novels next to his bed. Yamaguchi didn’t belong here, a pillar of perfection in Tsukishima’s so very imperfect room. It had been a mistake to bring the other boy here.

“Tsukki?”

“I…” Tsukishima started.

“I really like your room” Yamaguchi grinned. “It’s comforting.”

Tsukishima had to face a wall to hide the blush spreading across his face.

“But I have to wonder…what’s with all the dinosaur stuff?” Yamaguchi’s voice wasn’t teasing, just inquisitive.

“I just really like dinosaurs,” he replied simply.

Yamaguchi didn’t say anything.

“Ah, ever since I was a kid, I’ve loved everything prehistoric,” Tsukishima continued. “And when I was 6, I decided I wanted to be a paleontologist. You know- somebody who studies dinosaurs. It’s just so neat, you know? That there was this whole other world before us. I just want to know everything I can about what it was like before we were around,” He knew he was babbling, but when he glanced over at Yamaguchi, he saw genuine interest in the other boy’s face.

“I really like pterodactyls. I think they might be my favorite dinosaur,” Yamaguchi grinned.

“Pterodactyls aren’t actually dinosaurs you know,” Tsukishima smirked.

“What? You mean my whole life has been a lie?” Yamaguchi cried “

"‘Pterodactyl’ is a term for the species called pterosaurs. They were reptilian, sure, but not dinosaurs,”

Yamaguchi was grinning at him goofily;.

“What is it, Yamaguchi?” “You’re a nerd, Tsukki,”

Tsukishima felt his face heating up.

“What do you mean?”

“When I first met you, I thought you were so cool but you’re a huge dork! You’re obsessed with dinosaurs!”

“Shut up Yamaguchi,”

“It’s okay, Tsukki, I think it’s endearing,” Yamaguchi said shyly.

Tsukishima’s stomach entered an elaborate gymnastics routine. _Endearing. Yamaguchi said he was endearing_.

###

Tsukishima couldn’t sleep that night. His brain was running faster than an Olympic athlete. He tried to at least organize his thoughts into bullets.

_Yamaguchi said he thought I was “cool.”_

Well, so much for that idea.

He fell asleep with Yamaguchi’s voice playing in his mind.

_Endearing_

_Cool_

_Tsukki, I like your room_

_Don’t cry._

He pictured Yamaguchi's face, his delicate frame, his _freckles._

Tsukishima's body responded immediately.

Okay Ukai, maybe it was like that, just a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for all your comments! i read them all and they make me so happy. idk if im really pleased with this chapter, but after a ton of editing and several rewrites, this is as good as it gets.


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